Vibrator distributing roll for printing presses



Gcn 21, 1930.

A. E. KING VIBRATOR DISTRIBUTING ROLL FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Oct. 1,1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A.E-Kin 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR &

ATTORNEY A. E. KING VIBRATOR DISTRIBUTING ROLL FOR PRINTING PRESSESFiled Oct. 1, 1929 A.E.K

Patented Oct. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES AARON E. KING, OF FRESNO,CALIFORNIA VIBRATOR DISTRIBUTING- ROLL FOR PRINTING PRESSES Applicationfiled October 1, 1929. Serial No. 396,419.

all times and with a constant pressure. Such an arrangement 1s shown forlnstance 1n Pat ent 'No."1,381,948 granted June 21, 1921, to

R. O. Vandercook. This device however is somewhat unsatisfactory for thereason that the constant pressure against the form rollers retards thefree rotation of the same and tends to result in the ink being smearedrather'than rolled onto'the type in the chase. The'object of myinvention is to avoid this objectionable feature byproviding a vibratordistributor roller so mounted that the form rollers may move freely andeasily at all times; and so that thelast roller of the form "roller unitto'leave the type on the upward stroke, is entirely free from contactwith the distributing roller, so as-not to offer any resistance to thedesired free rolling movement of'said form roller.

Afurther object is to provide an improved automatically functioning tripfor the vibrating control member of the distributing roller unit, sothat if said roller reaches the end of its endwise travel before theform rollers reach the end of their. travel lengthwise of the press, thedistributing roller will continue to rotate instead of tending to slide7 and without the tendency of the distributing roller shaft jumping outof its bearings, as is the-case with the structure at'present in use.

A further object of the invention is to'pro- "vide a simple andinexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective 1'forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structureand relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear-by aperusal of r the followingspecification and claims. '.-.I n-the drawings similar characters ofref- The invention also relates to. and

. with the rails, are provided Slidable on the erence indicatecorresponding parts in the several views: i

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side outline of a platen press showing theposition of the distributing roller on the upstroke or oscillation ofthe pivoted roller frames' Fig. 2 is a similar view showing theposition'of the distributing roller on the downstroke. 1

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the distributing roller unit as mounted inconnection with the central form roller. v

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the unit.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the rollers showing the position ofthedistributing roller on the up-stroke.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the

numeral 1 denotes the frame of the. press on 0 which the verticallydisposed chase .2 and the relatively horizontal ink. disc 3 are mounted.The side rails 4 are provided with the frame and extend parallel tothechase from a point substantially flush with the face of the disc asis customary. The three spaced and parallel form rollers 5 of the usualsoft composition are journaled in saddles 6 which are yieldablysupported by the pivoted and oscillating roller frames 7 disposed to thesides "of the press. The above parts are all standard in presses of thischaracter, and in operation the frames 7 are oscillated through an areor stroke'of sufficient length to cause the rollers to travel over theface of the disc 3 t and down the chase,'and vice versa.

My improved vibrator distributing roller unit is mounted in connectionwith the cen- I ordinarily provided to engage the'rails' are preferablyremoved, and special ones, ar: ranged to have a more positive frictionalgrip arms 11, which are in the form of threaded studs, are blocks 12adjustable along and secured in place on the studs by opposed nuts 13thereon. These blocks support a shaft let extending thorebetween anddisposed parallel to the roller 5. The metal distributing roller 15 isturnable on the shaft i l, the blocks 12 being so adjusted. that saidroller firmly engages the roller 5. his roller 15 is in the form of atube having end bushings 16 fixed thereon. One bushing turns directly onthe shaft 14 while the other is tapped and engages a threaded sleeve 17turnable on the shaft. This sleeve is yieldably held from free turningby a cross pin 18 on the seaft 14: inwardly of said sleeve which engagesa notch 19 cut in the adjacent end of the latter. A compression spring20 is disposed about the shaft 14 between the end block 12 and theadjacent end of the sleeve and bears a,- the latter to maintain thenotch engaged with the pin. The adjacent bushing 16 has stops 21projecting from both ends of the same and adapted to en age stops Fredon the sleeve at its opposite ends.

In operation it will be seen that if the form roller unit travels downthe ink disc and chase the distributing roller will swing, by reason ofits engagement with the central roller 5 and the direction of rotationof the latter, so that the distributing roller will project between andengage both the lowermost and central roller. It cannot then swing anyfurther, so that it will then turn about its supporting shaft 14,-.Owing to the threaded engagement of the roller with the sleevefl? suchrotation causes a longitudinal or endwise movement to be imparted to theroller, so that the ink received onto the rollers 5 from the disc isdistributed along the rollers. This movement of the distributing roller'will continue until the form rollers reverse their direction ofrotation or until the tapped bushing 16 reaches the end of its movementalong the sleeve in one direction or the other. The cooperating stops 21and 22 then engage each other and the sleeve turns with the roller,since the engagement of the pin 18 with the notch 19 then overcome. Thisprevents slipping of the distributing roller on the form rollers withoutplacing any material strain on the shaft 14 such as would tend to rotatethe same. The ink is thus well distributed onto the lowest form roller,as well as onto the central roller, the engagement of the distributingroller with the lowest roller being aided by the weight of the formerand its connected parts.

\Vhen the direction of movement of the form rollers is reversed with thereversing of the oscillating stroke of the frames 7, the distributingroller immediately swings from its engaging position with and betweenthe lowest and central form rollers to a similar position between thecentral and top rollers; the ink distributing endwise movement of thedistributing roll then again taking place but in the opposite direction.The lowest roller 5 is then free of the distributing roller and of anyinfluence which might tend to retard its free rotation. T his enablessaid roller, which is the last one to leave the type on the chase, toink the same by a free rolling movement, is necessary to obtain the bestresults; and there is no tendency for said roll r to slide over the typeand smear the ink, as is the case with the standard arrangement in whichthe distributing roller constantly bears down against the lowest formroller.

It will also be evident from the foregoing description. that theadjacent pairs of form rollers will be engaged by the distributingroller at all times regardless of the wear of the form rollers; and thatthe only adjust-i ment necessary to compensate for wear may be easilymade by adjusting of the blocks 12 so that the roller 15 always engagesthe central roller 5 with the desired pressure.

It is also to be understood that while I have particularly describedthis arrangement for use in connection with platen presses it may alsobe adapted for any presses which use a similar arrangement of inkingrollers.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that l haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ink distributing attachment for a printing press having three formrollers, and

means for moving said rollers as a unit in opposite directionsalternately; comprising a distributing roller, and means mounting saidroller in place relative to the form rollers to cause it tosimultaneously engage the middle and either at a time of the end onessupporting said distributing roller for free.

turning movement about the axis of said central roller as an axis,whereby with the retation of said central roller in one direction or theother, the distributing roller will turn to engage one or the other ofthe endmost of the form rollers while remaining engaged with the centralroller.

3. A. structure as in claim 2, with means incorporated with saidsupporting means to enable the pressure of engagement of thedistributing roller with the central form roller to be altered at will.

4. An ink distributing attachment for a arintin ress havin three formrollers and means for moving said rollers as a unit in oppositedirections alternately; comprising a distributing roller, frictionallyengaging the central one of the form rollers, a shaft on which saiddistributing roller is mounted, collars turnably mounted on the axialshaft of the centralform roller, and members projecting radially fromthe collars and supporting the ends of the first named shaft.

5. An'ink distributing attachment for a printing press having three formrollers, and means for moving said rollers as a unit in oppositedirections alternately; comprising a distributing roller, frictionallyengaging the central one of the form rollers, a

shaft on which said distributing roller is mounted, collars turnablymounted on the axial shaft of the central form roller, arms projectingradially from the collars, and

blocks in which the ends of the first named shaft are supported, mountedon the arms for adjustment lengthwise thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

AARON E. KING.

